Zoo Story
by CrimeMarie16
Summary: Set in the "Say you won't let go" universe. A fluffy one-shot of a family day at the zoo when all the kids are still young.


_**I recently took my nephews and niece to the zoo and it got me thinking about Sharon taking her kids to do something like that. This is a one-shot based in the Say you won't let go universe just before Andy fell off the wagon the last time and just after Jack left for good. I'm going to use the zoo I went to as inspiration, it won't be based off of any real zoo anywhere near LA.**_

 _ **This is just a fluff piece to show a little family interaction with the kids. So, Emily would be around 4 ½, Ricky 3, Nicole 6, and Charlie 3.**_

"Mommy, Mommy come on I want to see the monkeys!" Emily yelled at she pulled at her mother's hand as they were walking to the entrance of the zoo.

"But I want to see the Giraffes!" Nicole whined as she pulled on Sharon's other hand.

"Girls slow down and don't wine," Sharon gently scolded. "We have the whole day to walk around, we will see all of the animals that are here." They had just gotten to the zoo after driving for an hour to get there, they could have gone to one closer but this particular zoo had a reputation for being the best around. Sharon and Sandra decided they wanted to take the kids and they had drug Andy along with them as well. The kids had talked about nothing except for coming for the last two weeks since they had decided to go.

"Ok, as long as we see the monkeys first," Emily said again as Nicole grunted, "nuh huh, the giraffes!"

Sandra laughed, "and we couldn't wait to bring them."

Sharon laughed right along with her, "I know, what were we thinking." Andy smirked at both of them as he followed behind pushing the double stroller with Charlie and Ricky who both had fallen asleep on the ride and were miraculously still asleep.

After they had paid and entered into the zoo they came to a spot in the path where they could either go left or right. The zoo was one big circle so no matter which way they went they would get to everything, however, there was a water park at the zoo they planned to take the kids to at the end of the end and it was at the end; they decided to go left so they would come to the water last.

Before going left, they stopped at rail in front of the flamingoes that are right next to the entrance to get all the kids together to take a picture. There was very little chance of getting the four of them lined up for one once they started to see all the exciting things the zoo had to offer.

It turns out the zoo was separated into 3 different sections Expedition Africa, Wild Florida, and La Selva (Jungle). The first section they came to was the Africa one which housed Meerkats, Giraffes, Zebras, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Lemurs, and several others. The first exhibit they came to was the Meerkats.

Look mommy, rats!" Charlie yelled. The adults all laughed as Sandra answered, "No sweetie these are Meerkats."

"Cool, Emily come over here," Nicole yelled. She had walked ahead with Andy and found a little cave-like hidy hole where you could see the meerkats up close and it had clear tubes that they could run through and allow whoever was in the tunnel to see them as they did.

"Oh, look," Emily pointed as she walked into the cave and saw one run through the tube. Nicole jumped up and down before screaming, "that was awesome!" By this time, Ricky and Charlie had walked into the hole to join the girls as all the adults took a seat on the bench outside while the kids looked around.

"So, I figure we let all the kids feed the giraffes and I hear the Cheetah exhibit has a cool underground viewing spot for the kids," Sandra told Sharon. Sandra had done all the research on the zoo before they came since she had the extra time.

"It all sounds good hon," Andy said as he kept a careful eye on the kids while they ladies talked.

"Isn't there a train too?" Sharon asked. "Um, yeah it's over near the food pavilion. I figured we could get tickets for the train and get some food while we wait to go on it," Sandra answered.

Once the kids had finished watching the Meerkats play the group continued on through Expedition Africa. The kids were able to go down some stairs to the underground Cheetah viewing that had facts about the animal posted on boards with games to help the kids learn, after all that they were able to climb up a rope ladder to come back to where the adults were waiting. Up next was the Zebras and Rhinos, the kids didn't find them particularly interested. When they finally got to the Giraffe exhibit, Nicole flipped out.

"Oh my goodness, they are awesome!" she squealed as she ran up to the railing where one of the animals was currently being fed. "Daddy, Daddy I want to feed one."

"I know sweetie, here Daddy just got some lettuce for you to give him," Andy told her as he handed her a piece as well as one for each of the other three kids.

"Nicole you were right they are awesome," Emily told Nicole as gave her a hug when they were leaving the exhibit. The boys were a little scared but they had still taken their turn feeding the Giraffe and they all let their mothers take a picture.

Next up was lunch and then they took a train ride through the Africa exhibit so the kids were able to see the animals up close. And then they made their way to Wild Florida. The boys were especially fond of the alligators and kept pretending to be one to 'bite' their sisters with their arms. The girls favorite exhibit in Wild Florida was the Otters.

"Mommy look they have a water slide," Emily squealed and ran up to the glass to watch as the Otters seemed to be playing tag chasing each other down the slide.

"I can see that," Sharon said with an amused smile. She picked up Ricky and pointed to the animals so that he could see. "I want a water slide too mommy, ok?" Ricky asked her. She laughed, "sure thing kiddo."Andy picked up Emily so she didn't have to go on tiptoe to see the otters as Sandra did the same with Charlie, Nicole was the only one tall enough to see without being picked up.

"I want a water slide too Daddy," Nicole told him with a smile as she turned back to the otters.

"Of course sweetheart."

"Looks like you have some work to do hon," Sandra told him with a laugh. "You have to build one at our house and Sharon's." As Andy groaned the women laughed.

"Why else do you think we keep you around Andy?" Sharon asked as they walked off to go to the last section, La Selva.

The first animal they came to was the Jaguar, and it seemed to be Charlies favorite animal. Nicole heard someone nearby say jaguar like "jagger" and started laughing before she started to sing:

"I've got the moves like jagger," Nicole laughed as she pulled Emily with her and the two of them starting dancing.

"Oh my goodness," Sandra laughed as she had a video recorder taping the girls, "I can't wait to show this to their future boyfriends."

"Boyfriends?" Andy and Sharon said simultaneously. "They won't be having boyfriends until they are at least 30," Andy added as Sharon nodded along in agreement.

"Oh you two," Sandra rolled her eyes.

"Come on Sandra," Emily was pulling her hand. "I can see a monkey from here, let's go."

"Yes ma'am," she said as she grabbed Nicole's hand and followed Emily.

Sharon followed them with Ricky on her hip as Andy pushed the stroller Charlie was sitting in. When they caught up to Sandra and the girls Emily was staring up at the monkeys in wonderment.

"Well, Sharon I think you might need to find a way to get a pet monkey," Andy said to her as he looked at Emily's face, he'd never seen her so enamored by something before.

"I don't see that happening, hopefully a stuffed on will work," Sharon said as she laughed and set Ricky down in the stroller so she could pick Emily up to get a better look.

"I think a stop at the gift shop on the way out will be in order," Sandra added. Each of the kids seemed to have picked their favorite animal at the zoo so a stuffed one each would be a nice little memento of their day.

After they had finished walking around La Selva they walked along the path that brought them back near the entrance. They decided it was time to tell the kids what they had been planning on all day.

"Ok kids, do you guys want to know why your moms had you wear your bathing suits?" Andy asked the kids as they all looked at him and nodded. "Well, it is because there is a water park here that you guys get to play in." All of the kids started squealing and jumping up and down as they walked into the water park.

The water park had two pools one was about 8 inches deep with a manatee statue in the middle and the other about a 1 ½ foot deep with a water slide. There weren't too many kids at the moment so the kids would have room to run and play. As the kids shed the clothes over top their bathing suits Sharon, Sandra, and Andy slathered them with sunblock and then watched them run off to go play. The adults were going to sit in the patio chairs in the shade while the kids played.

"So, Sharon how are you doing?" Sandra asked as she turned to give Sharon a questioning glance.

"I am doing good, it's not the first time he has left," Sharon told her as she saw Andy roll his eyes, he really didn't like Jack anymore. "And it's not like he helps me much when he is around, my routine never changes whether he is here or not."

"Yeah, I guess that is true," Sandra said as she sighed. "I just don't understand him."

"I don't either," Sharon told her honestly. "But as long as my kids are taken care of, I really don't care what Jack does anymore."

"Good," Andy said as joined their conversation while still keeping his eyes on the kids in the water. Sharon rolled her eyes at Andy and then looked back to the kids as Sandra did the same. The kids played in the water for about an hour before the attendant told them the water park part of the zoo would be closing shortly. Sharon and Sandra got the kids dried off as Andy gathered their stuff and then they walked toward the gift shop.

Nicole made a beeline for the Giraffes and picked up one that had a pink bow on its head and pink hair as she smiled at her daddy, it was a little bigger than they told the kids they could get but heck he was not going to deny his little girl. "Okay sweetheart," Andy told her as he took it from her.

Charlie wanted a jaguar, he thought they were the coolest thing ever. Ricky wanted an alligator, as soon as he picked it up he started following the girls pretending to bite them again.

And Emily of course wanted a monkey. She got one that also had a pink bow on its head and velcro on its hands, she took it and made it into a necklace so the arms were wrapped around her neck with the monkey hanging as she turned to show her mom.

When they got to the register Sharon went to pay before Andy put Charlie and Nicole's animals up on the counter too and handed over his credit card before she could protest too much. As they walked out of the zoo with four happy kids, the adults decided that it had been a good day and one they wouldn't mind repeating.

 ** _I know the timeline of this story was long before the song "Moves like Jagger" came out but my nephew actually did that at the zoo and I couldn't help but think it would be something Nicole would have done._**


End file.
